The present invention relates to a magnetic head used for magnetic recording, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing apparatus thereof.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 3-296907 and European Patent Application Publication Number 0 452 846 A2 corresponding thereto are known conventionally as a method of miniaturizing the track width (track narrowing) of a magnetic head so as to enhance the density of magnetic recording. In this conventional example, a focused ion beam having a submicron beam diameter is irradiated to the sliding surface of a magnetic head, and a pair of grooves are formed by sputtering, and the track width of the magnetic head is controlled by these grooves. This method is direct processing, so that the process is simple and excellent in miniaturization and controllability.
However, in the aforementioned conventional method, a problem arises that it is necessary to limit the current of the focused ion beam due to microfabrication and the throughput is low. Namely, to apply this method to a commercial production line, the throughput is insufficient by at least one digit.